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One of my clients Emily just emailed me this. I don't personally agree with no. 1 as dogs get used to it if they are taught but I really like the idea of putting things from the dog point of view. All too often we are thinking of our lives, our work, our priorities and sometimes its great to have a reminder to sit back and remember why we got a dog and how important they are to us.
Let me know what you think....
Recently I've met up with a number of new owners who have taken on dogs via sites like Gumtree. If you are thinking of buying a dog through such a site, switch off the computer and walk away. Gumtree and similar is a site designed to flog things that people don't want anymore including dogs and in my mind, that should not be a destination site for new dog owners to search for their beloved addition to their family.
A Gumtree dog could be from a puppy farm, it could be from some dodgy bloke doing back street breeding or it could be a dangerous dog that shouldn't be going into a new home. You just don't know. I met one woman who took on a huge mix of two guarding breeds aged 12months old. She had two children in her home under the age of 10yrs old and the dog already had aggression issues. Had this dog been assessed, under gone temprement testing or exposure to different scenerios? No. The woman went on the owners description of "a lovely family pet that we have to get rid of due to a change in circumstances".
On Gumtree you can say anything you like, I could set up an advert flogging a dog I've come across in the park. There are no security checks, there are no behaviour checks, no chipping or safety checks in place like you would get from going through a bona fide rescue rehoming centre. I work with such places and I see people get refused a dog because the particular dog they have fallen in love with doesn't fit their situation. So instead of waiting until the 'right' dog comes up, they head home and trawl the internet. And hey presto there is that huge Malamute they had their eye on and oh look, its free to a good home because the owners just don't have time for it anymore. Yet the one at the rehoming centre wouldn't be handed over to them because they live in a tiny property, someone is out at work all day and they only want to do 30 mins of exercise per day.
Believe me when I say that there is usually a valid reason if you get turned down for adopting a certain dog. The centre will work with you to find you the dog you are looking for but very often that takes time and in today's society, people don't want to wait. They want it now.
A rehoming centre has their reputation to protect and they genuinely care for the dogs they are entrusted with, so if you are looking for a rescue dog, don't cut corners and do not be tempted to take a dog home just because you feel sorry for it. Believe me, it will end in tears, as one girl in Islington found out when she sold her dog through a site and a day later it ended up dead after its new owner had used it for fighting and then flung it off of a balcony. Hideous and I'm sorry if it upsets you but it is the harsh reality of such a world.
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